


Because You're You

by Sleeves



Series: Kagehina Week [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, blood/injuries/death mention but nothing too graphic, kageyama is an actual king, what is this AU even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-04-07 04:58:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4250241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleeves/pseuds/Sleeves





	Because You're You

Despite having worked for the royal family his entire life, Hinata had never even _seen_ the prince up close. There were a few bits of information he had picked up from a handful of guards and other servants, namely that the prince had a very short temper and a glare that could freeze hell. All the servants who worked in close contact with him used the title "his highness" with utmost contempt when referring to him amongst themselves.

These were the only things about Kageyama that Hinata could say he knew for certain, which explained the immediate panic and nausea bubbling in his stomach when he got word that the prince would be coming down to ride today. Although he was still technically in training, Hinata had been placed in charge of the stable for the next several weeks while the stable master recovered from a broken leg. Ordinarily he could make himself scarce when a member of the family came to ride, but he would have no one to hide behind today.

"Rest in peace," said a snide voice behind him as Hinata practically inhaled his breakfast. It was that giant bespectacled guard that everyone hated. Hinata ground his teeth but didn't reply, just shoved the remaining hunk of bread in his mouth and hurried off to get everything prepared. He agonized over how to properly greet the prince as he tacked up the horse, a brilliant white stallion named Kaiser.

_Rest in peace_ , the guard's voice echoed in the back of his head when he finally came face to face with the prince, bowing his head and mumbling something incoherent as he handed over the reins. _Rest in peace, rest in peace_ —but Kageyama didn't say anything at all. Hinata picked his head up a moment later; Kageyama had already left the stable with the horse, and Hinata was entirely unscathed. A portion of his fear melted away as he remarked to himself that that hadn't been so hard at all. In fact, he let himself become so complacent as he cleaned the stalls that he almost laughed when the prince returned, looking disgruntled and covered in dirt.

"Looks like Kaiser bucked you off today, huh, your highness?" Hinata had to bring up a hand to cover his mouth as Kageyama stepped inside and threw the reins at him.

"Why do you sound so happy about that?" Kageyama leered at him. The blades of grass sticking out of his hair made him seem a lot less intimidating. "Who the hell are you."

"Hi-Hinata Shouyou!" Hinata squeaked, as bits and pieces from the rumor mill started trickling back into his awareness—namely Tanaka and Nishinoya's notoriously exaggerated horror stories and Yachi's ominous warning that the prince would kill you on the spot if you so much as looked at him the wrong way. Then he added abruptly, "Uh, at your service, sir! Your highness, your majesty, your grace sir!"

"Shut up." The harshness in Kageyama's voice made Hinata flinch and cover his head. A few tense seconds ticked by, and Hinata slowly realized that the prince wasn't planning to do anything terrible to him. In fact, when he lifted his head, Kageyama just looked oddly flustered.

"He...seems to like you," Kageyama muttered, crossing his arms and glaring at the horse. There was a faint touch of pink in his cheeks. "Can you show me how to make him like me too?"

The fact that this request came in the form of a rather timid and embarrassed question instead of an order was enough to momentarily stun Hinata, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Maybe you could start by relaxing?" Hinata suggested, stroking the horse's flowing white mane. "I think Kaiser can smell fear."

"I am _not_ afraid of a stupid horse," Kageyama huffed. He took a step back as Kaiser flattened his ears and pawed at the ground.

"Ohh, it's all right," Hinata cooed, rubbing Kaiser's neck. "I know, I know, he has a scary face—"

" _Huh?_ "

"—but he's not gonna hurt you, boy." Hinata scratched behind Kaiser's ears, still speaking in a soft, calming voice, "You're okay. There."

Hinata reached into his pocket and offered Kaiser a sugar cube. "See, just _relax_ , be nice and don't yell at him. I think he's had enough of you for today, but why don't you come back again tomorrow? We can practice just talking nicely and feeding him treats."

"Do I really have a scary face?" Kageyama demanded once Kaiser had been secured in his stall.

"Oh, uh—no!" Hinata stammered, avoiding eye contact. "Not at all, your highness! Your face is, uh..."

He trailed off, and then he really did look. It wasn't customarily a respectful thing to do, but the prince's request warranted somewhat of a staring contest. So Hinata slipped his gaze up to Kageyama's face and saw a pair of dark blue eyes staring back at him expectantly, thin eyebrows drawn up in concern, soft lips set in a pout. Hinata looked, and he realized that the prince really didn't have such a scary face after all—he almost bordered on charming, at least when he kept his mouth shut. Actually, Hinata realized as he continue to stare, Kageyama was very handsome. Hinata dropped his eyes back to the ground and finally found his voice.

"It's a very kingly face, your highness."

Kageyama returned the next day, but they didn't make much progress with Kaiser. Hinata found himself debating among three possibilities; Kageyama had done something horrible to Kaiser in the past, Kageyama was possessed by a demon whose presence was known only by the horse, or Kageyama just really did not have any affinity for animals.

After narrowly avoiding a kick in the chest on the third day, Kageyama seemed to have given up hope. He slumped down on a bale of hay, looking very undignified with his limbs sprawled all over the place. Some strange little urge pulled Hinata down beside him, as though this sudden lax behavior gave him license to consort so informally with the prince. Hinata held his breath, and when Kageyama didn't rebuff him for flopping down next to him, he exhaled and rested his hands behind his head.

"Please don't let it get you down, your highness," Hinata said after a moment. "Kaiser's just really stubborn, you know."

"It's not the horse," Kageyama said gruffly, propping himself up to get a good look at Hinata. A few pieces of straw clung to the sides of his head. There was something about Kageyama with pieces of things sticking out of his hair that made Hinata feel strangely happy. "It's _me_. Why is he so comfortable with you when he hates me so much?"

Kageyama's lips were pressed together in a familiar pout. It was almost cute, but Hinata couldn't allow himself to smile when the prince seemed so distressed. He didn't really have an answer, but Kageyama seemed to be figuring it out by himself.

"Maybe it's not me or the horse," Kageyama mused. Hinata could only hold his breath and watch as the prince extended his hand, brushing the very tips of his fingers along Hinata's cheek. "Maybe it's you. Something about you."

Hinata didn't breathe properly until he had bowed Kageyama out of the stable and collapsed back into the hay alone, feeling like all the muscles in his legs had melted away.

 

 

Kageyama made it a habit of visiting even on days when he appeared to have no interest in learning to get along with Kaiser. In fact, he seemed much more interested in Hinata, whom he practically interrogated every day about the most boring facets of life, apparently entranced by the life and times of someone from such a different world than his own. At first, Hinata kept his responses guarded and vague, suspecting the prince of trying to trip him up to find out who was taking extra rations, or possibly attempting to siphon out a complaint against the royal family that would warrant his execution. As the days bled into weeks, however, Hinata realized that Kageyama might just be tired of being a prince. Lying in the hay seemed to bring about an aura of calm for him, and soon Hinata was responding to the prince's inquiries with questions of his own.

Kageyama's life was infinitely more interesting, and a whole lot more complicated. He taught Hinata the basics of diplomacy, the geography of all the neighboring kingdoms and their most prominent noble families, complained a lot about an emperor named Oikawa, expressed his concerns about recent crop failure and tensions brewing across borders, and made clearly visible his relief that he hadn't yet ascended to the throne to shoulder all that responsibility. He knew how to read and write, and he had lessons for just about everything from dancing to hunting. Hinata, who had thought that the only thing princes did was lie on their backs and have servants put food in their mouths, clung to his every word.

There was one other thing he discovered about the prince. Kageyama really liked touching. At first Hinata thought he was imagining things—the accidental grazing of their hands as he transferred over Kaiser's reins, the way Kageyama laid down so closely beside him that their shoulders pressed together, the slow, precise movements of Kageyama's hands as he methodically picked straw out of Hinata's hair. No, he definitely wasn't imagining it, he concluded one lazy afternoon as Kageyama ran his fingers through Hinata's tangled locks, gently combing out all the knots. Hinata stifled the contented little sigh threatening to slip out of him and leaned into Kageyama's hand. He really liked touching, too.

 

 

At Kageyama's request, Hinata began paying him daily visits up in the palace. They fell into somewhat of a comfortable routine, with Hinata arriving at Kageyama's chamber just as dusk settled, always knocking softly, pushing the door open just a crack and half-whispering, wary of any eavesdroppers, "Your highness, I'm here!"

The routine remained unbroken for a while, until the prince's father fell ill. Kageyama didn't stop spending time with Hinata, but he became more quiet and distant with each passing day as the king's condition worsened. He seemed to only want to listen, so Hinata recited old fairy tales his mother used to tell him as bedtime stories. Kageyama absentmindedly stroked his hair, his eyes focused on something very far away.

Hinata's daily summons ceased the day he woke to the solemn toll of the bell marking the king's passing, and it wasn't until one rainy evening a week later that Kageyama sent for him again.

Hinata sprinted all the way there, taking a moment to make sure he was fairly presentable before knocking softly and easing the door open to peer inside. Kageyama was sitting in bed with his pillows propped up against his back and his sheets up to his waist. He was staring down at his hands, and his shoulders were slumped as though saddled with an incredible burden.

"Your highness," Hinata called, still out of breath. "I'm here!"

Kageyama slowly lifted his head and stared, as though seeing Hinata for the first time. His eyes were red around the edges, and the tip of his nose was slightly pink.

"Come in," Kageyama said. Hinata slipped inside and shut the door behind him. "Lock it."

Hinata jerked his head over his shoulder, but the look on Kageyama's face told him not to ask questions, so he slid the bolt in place and hurried to Kageyama's bedside.

"Sit," Kageyama ordered, patting the space beside him. Then he hastily added, "Please."

After a moment's hesitation, Hinata kicked off his shoes and briefly dusted himself off in an attempt not to dirty the spotless sheets, before climbing up next to Kageyama.

Hinata fidgeted with his hands for a moment before speaking. "I-I'm so sorry—"

Kageyama slipped an arm around Hinata's shoulders and pulled the smaller boy roughly against him. Hinata tucked his head against Kageyama's chest, breathing in the smell of fresh linen and listening to the steady beat of his heart. Hinata felt Kageyama's hand in his hair, gently threading through the messy locks and massaging his scalp, and let out a small noise of contentment. He heard Kageyama's pulse skip a beat and then accelerate.

"I wanted to see you," Kageyama said, his voice fragile and thin. "I wanted to see you every day. I just didn't want you to see me."

He felt Kageyama's knuckles rubbing at the base of his neck, Kageyama's fingers trailing along his jaw, Kageyama gently lifting his chin; and even though this kind of contact had become normal for them, Hinata's nerves seemed to jump whenever they got this close. Kageyama's eyes were so sharp and focused, and Hinata found himself torn between respectfully averting his gaze and wanting to stare back forever.

"Is there anything I can—," Hinata began, feeling useless, but Kageyama cut him off.

"No." Kageyama ran the pad of his thumb along Hinata's bottom lip. "Please, just stay here."

He pulled Hinata to his chest again, tipping his face down to rest in Hinata's hair. Pressed up against him, Hinata could feel Kageyama's soft huffs of breath and the rise and fall of his chest. Hinata slowly wound his arms around Kageyama, who squeezed him tighter. They stayed like that for several minutes, exchanging body heat and breathing each other in, until Hinata tentatively extracted himself from Kageyama's grip and straightened up.

"Hey... Can I touch you like that too?" Hinata asked.

"Yes!" Kageyama shouted abruptly, his cheeks filling with color at the intensity of his own response. Hinata laughed, a mixture of elation and relief, and reached out to grasp the sides of Kageyama's face.

Kageyama became very still; he seemed to not even be breathing, and Hinata had to resist the urge to press his ear to Kageyama's chest to make sure his heart was still beating. Hinata brushed one hand along Kageyama's cheek, up to his temple, around the shell of his ear, and down to the nape of his neck. Nobody was allowed to touch the king like this, least of all a servant—but somehow, here he was, feeling strangely at home as he memorized Kageyama with his hands. He ran his fingers up through Kageyama's hair—much tamer and smoother than his own, and so incredibly soft—trying to imitate the way Kageyama stroked his.

Unlike the king's hands, which were as unmarred as they had been the day he was born, Hinata's were callused and rough, and he had worried Kageyama would hate being touched by them. But the king was now practically leaning into Hinata's touch like a kitten, his lips slightly parted and a look of sheer bliss etched into his handsome features. Kageyama's eyes fluttered shut, and he let out a long, deep breath. No wonder he enjoyed touching Hinata so much. Seeing Kageyama so vulnerable and relaxed filled him with an immense fondness that made his chest ache. Hinata wanted to smooth out that crease between his brows, to take away all his pain and set him at ease. There was nothing he wouldn't give to keep Kageyama safe and happy and warm.

Hinata pushed back Kageyama's bangs, watching as they flopped back over his forehead, slightly askew. After about the fourth or fifth time doing this, he noticed that the furrow in Kageyama's brow had become more pronounced.

"What the hell are you doing," Kageyama asked, his eyes still closed and his mouth quirked in a tiny smile.

Hinata smoothed back the locks of hair again, but this time he held them in place—and before his senses could kick in, he had leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to Kageyama's forehead. When he drew back, Kageyama looked appalled, his eyes wide and color high on his cheeks. Hinata scuttled backwards as the warm fuzzy feelings disintegrated into a pit in his stomach.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata cried, scrambling off the bed and hurrying to the door, bowing so forcefully he thought his spine might snap. "I'm really sorry! Good—goodnight, your highness!"

He stayed bent at the waist for the longest minute of his life, blushing furiously and staring at the ornate rug at his feet, only just realizing he had forgotten to put his shoes back on in his frantic dash to the door.

"Don't call me that," Kageyama finally spoke up.

Hinata straightened up. "Then—what should I call you, your h—"

"Tobio," he said, staring down at the sheets he was clenching with white knuckles.

Hinata felt a rush of heat fill his face. "But I—that's not! I can't do that, your highness!" he sputtered. After all their secret meetings, all the time they had spent wrapped in each other's warmth—somehow, addressing the king so casually was just too much.

"You can't obey an order from your king?" Kageyama growled, shifting his eyes to Hinata's.

"I'll try, your— To—" Hinata clenched his fists at his sides and bowed again—how could he possibly do such a thing?—and shouted down at the floor, " _I'll do my best!_ "

He unbolted the door with shaky hands and took one last glance over his shoulder, long enough to see Kageyama with his knees pulled to his chest and his face in his hands, before shutting the door softly behind him.

 

 

Kageyama sent for him the next day, filling Hinata with immense relief that his brazen act hadn't completely knocked him out of the king's good graces. Hinata paused outside Kageyama's bedroom door, taking a deep breath to steel himself. He checked to make sure his shirt was buttoned properly, and suddenly caught a glimpse of his bare feet. How could he meet with the king dressed so poorly? The only pair of shoes he owned had been abandoned on the other side of that door yesterday. But worse than entering the king's room with no footwear was delaying his summons to borrow a pair from one of the other servants. Hinata tucked in his bottom lip, scraping it against his teeth. He had no other choice but to move forward.

He rapped twice on the door, and before he could announce himself, Kageyama had already pulled it open.

"I'm here," Hinata said automatically, feeling smaller than usual without his shoes. Kageyama, meanwhile, was not wearing his bedclothes as he had been the day before; instead, he was dressed in fine, crisp layers of flowing fabric dyed in rich deep hues of purple and red. All he needed to complete the picture was a crown—but having the king cut an even more intimidating figure was the last thing Hinata needed.

"I know I look stupid!" Kageyama suddenly shouted. Hinata jerked his eyes from those strange puffy pants up to Kageyama's face. "Hurry up and come in."

"You don't!" Hinata protested, scurrying inside so Kageyama could shut and bolt the door behind him. "I was just thinking, you look really amazing! So cool and official!"

Kageyama shot him a bewildered look, his cheeks dusted a familiar shade of pink.

"Well I _feel_ like an idiot," Kageyama muttered, dropping his gaze and tugging at the buttons of his shirt. "I need to get out of this—thing. It's eating me alive."

Hinata took Kageyama's wrists and guided him to the bed, seating Kageyama at the edge before kneeling down and reaching for the top button of Kageyama's shirt.

"What the hell are you—" Kageyama drew back, his eyes wide and his face flushed. "Hinata!"

"I want to take care of you! Can you stop making that face?" Hinata countered Kageyama with a pout of his own. "Is it really that weird to have someone help you undress?"

"No," Kageyama grunted, glaring pointedly off to the side. "It's...normal."

"Yeah? Is it normal to get so embarrassed about it?" Hinata ventured a coy smile, easing the next button out of its hole. Kageyama made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat. It hardly occurred to Hinata how inappropriate it was for him to tease the king; in this moment all he could think of was how much he liked the color in Kageyama's cheeks and the light in his eyes, something he hadn't seen in a very long time. He reached the last button and helped slip Kageyama's arms out of the sleeves.

Hinata got to his feet, feeling less naked now that the king was in his undershirt.

"Better," Kageyama said, flopping down onto his back. "Don't you dare touch my pants. Come here."

"But I—I haven't been wearing my shoes!" Hinata blurted. "I'm so dirty, I'll ruin—ah!"

Kageyama sat up and grabbed Hinata by the wrist, pulling him down onto the bed beside him. Hinata fell onto his back, momentarily stunned as he gazed up at the canopy hanging overhead. Then he felt a familiar hand in his hair, stroking gently. Hinata glanced sideways at Kageyama, who was propped up on his elbow and studying him closely like he had yesterday.

"I can undress myself, you know," Kageyama said. Hinata stifled a laugh. He couldn't explain why, but he liked when Kageyama got embarrassed like this, the same way he liked when the king's neatly combed hair got all askew after lying in the hay. It was reassuring to know that the king wasn't always as cool as he looked.

"Hey, how come you touch me like this?" Hinata asked after a few silent minutes, closing his eyes as Kageyama brushed a thumb over his cheek.

"Because I like it," Kageyama replied. He paused for a moment, and Hinata cracked open an eye to check on him. Kageyama added in a soft, uncertain voice, "Don't you?"

"Of course!" Hinata shouted at once, both eyes now open and earnest as he wished away the troubled look on Kageyama's face.

"You shouldn't feel like you have to do this with me," Kageyama said, curling his fingers against Hinata's cheek. "Just because I'm the king."

"That's not the reason. I do it because I like you." Hinata smiled up at him. "Not because you're the king. Because you're you."

Kageyama was making that face again—the one where all the blood rushed to his cheeks and the tips of his ears and he looked as though he'd been punched in the heart. Sometimes Hinata wondered if he was a bad influence on Kageyama's health (a concern he'd given voice to before; Kageyama had indignantly stammered back that Hinata was "the best thing").

Then Kageyama was cupping Hinata's cheek, his dexterous hands uncharacteristically clumsy—shaky, even—as he leaned down and kissed Hinata right on the mouth, steady and gentle. Hinata let out a muffled little sound, his hand shooting up to grip the back of Kageyama's head, and before his self-control could override his instincts, he found himself pressing Kageyama closer, deeper, leaning up into the softness of his lips.

When Kageyama pulled away to breathe, he looked dazed and disbelieving—but also a tiny bit pleased with himself. Hinata was grinning so broadly he thought his face might get stuck that way. He shot up and lunged at the king to kiss him again—but he missed the mark in his haste and ended up connecting with Kageyama's jaw instead. Hinata just giggled and proceeded to pepper a line of light smooches up to Kageyama's lips, his entire body flooding with heat at the thought of actually touching Kageyama with his _mouth_. The reality of what they had just done seemed to have caught up with Kageyama as well, who dipped his head into Hinata's chest to hide the redness in his face. Hinata coiled his arms around Kageyama, drawing him closer and nestling his nose in Kageyama's hair.

"I guess I don't have to apologize for last night after all," Hinata murmured, rubbing small circles on Kageyama's back. He felt Kageyama slowly shake his head. "Jeez, I was so worried!"

Kageyama straightened up, his eyes filled with a degree of fondness and warmth that made Hinata's chest squeeze.

"Will you stay here tonight?" Kageyama asked, pressing a soft kiss to Hinata's forehead.

" _UWAA!_ " Hinata yelped, leaning as far back as he could without falling over. "Th-that's so sudden! I'm not, I can't—I don't think I— _ooh_ , oh no, oh no, I'm, uh—"

"What the hell's the matter with you? Are you broken?"

"Are you planning to deflower me, your highness?" Hinata blurted.

" _Huh?_ " Kageyama flicked him on the forehead. "No, dumbass! I just want you to stay. Like this. Just being with you is really...nice."

 

 

Aside from the king's growing distress about the kingdom's state of affairs, things ended up being okay for a while. Hinata felt so light all the time, and Kageyama had gotten to the point where he barely even tried to conceal Hinata's near-constant presence around him. Over time their talks became less lighthearted than usual, and as the weeks went by Hinata noticed the dark lines under Kageyama's eyes were becoming more pronounced.

"Are you doing okay?" Hinata asked one day when Kageyama looked particularly run-down.

"There was a riot in the countryside today." Kageyama dug his palms into his eye sockets. "Negotiations aren't going well, either."

"With you doing the negotiating I can't really imagine they are...no offense."

"Well it's not _my_ fault!" Kageyama glared at him.

"When you're the king, isn't everything kind of your fault?" Hinata sat down next to him and slung an arm around Kageyama's shoulders.

"Yeah, and I'm the worst." Kageyama massaged his temples, staring down at his knees. "Someone's going to murder me one of these days, for being such a shitty king."

Hinata rolled his eyes as the king buried his face in his hands. "Nobody is going to murder you."

"You don't know that. I've had enough, and I'm running away," Kageyama mumbled into his palms. "Come with me. Let's leave tonight."

"Don't be so dramatic." Hinata nudged him in the shoulder. "You can't just run away from your problems, your highness."

"Can you seriously stop calling me that. I hate it."

"It's a habit! Besides, you still call me Hinata! Isn't that kind of formal?"

"Then you should least call me Kageyama! Enough with the 'your highness' crap, I _told_ you!"

"Fine, King Kageyama!"

"That would be King _Tobio_ , you dumbass."

"King Tobio!"

" _Just Tobio!_ "

"You're giving orders like a king, your highness!"

" _Shut up!_ "

His tone was angry, but the warmth had come back to the king's face, his shoulders had squared up, and his eyes were bright again.

 

 

The next time their routine was broken again, it was because someone really did try to murder the king. It happened while Hinata and Kageyama were walking together in the courtyard, arguing about the best way to serve an egg. Hinata faltered at the sight of a stranger approaching them, and as soon as he saw the glint of a knife he knew something was very, very wrong.

Impossibly quick, faster than the two armed guards nearby who had barely registered the fact that their king was about to be assassinated, Hinata leapt at the assailant, tackling him to the ground. His mind was almost completely blank, his body acting on instinct alone as he fumbled for the knife. The only thing running through Hinata's head was a mantra of _protect him_. _Protect him_.

A searing pain in his gut made Hinata yelp in pain, and suddenly he was the one on his back, his head striking the ground hard enough to make his ears ring and his vision blur; but he wouldn't let go of the attacker's wrist, digging in his nails hard enough to draw blood. In a last desperate effort, he jammed his knee up into the stomach above him, earning a choking sound as the assailant's grip on the knife finally slackened. Hinata snatched it away and used every bit of strength left in his quivering arms to thrust the blade upward, burying it to the hilt in the man's chest.

The assailant collapsed beside him, and Hinata lay gasping for breath as the whole world seemed to dim around the edges.

"Get help, _now!_ " he heard Kageyama shout at one of the guards, a terrified-looking freckled guy. To the other one—Hinata was vaguely aware that it was the mean bespectacled giant who everyone hated—he barked, "Find out how this happened, find whoever let him into the palace, call all the guards and make sure there aren't more of them coming."

He knelt down beside Hinata, and his gaze softened. "Hinata. Can you see me?"

"Yeah." Hinata smiled, funneling all his energy into focusing on Kageyama's eyes. They were filled with pain, brimming with tears—he wished the king would smile back at him, wished there was something he could do. He would give anything to see the king smile. There was a sound like ripping fabric, and then steady pressure against his stomach that made him cry out in pain.

"Just keep looking at me." Kageyama brushed a stray lock of hair out of Hinata's face, making a strained effort to steady his voice. "Help is coming."

"It's all right, your highness," Hinata said weakly. He turned his head to cough, wrinkling his nose at the coppery taste. He tried to refocus on Kageyama, felt his vision blur as he blinked away tears of his own. He was dizzy, sick with pain, and losing the feeling in his fingers and toes, but he forced himself to smile. "I'm really glad you're okay."

" _You're_ okay," Kageyama insisted, grabbing Hinata's shoulder. "You're going to be fine."

Hinata tilted his head, pressing his cheek against Kageyama's hand. He kept his eyes locked with Kageyama's and summoned a soft smile as he murmured, exhausted, "You know, I really love you, Tobio."

He had meant to finally coax a smile out of the king, but Kageyama looked instead as though his heart had been ripped out. His face, which had remained stony aside from the tears streaking his cheeks, broke into an expression of pure agony.

"Stop it," Kageyama said in a shaky voice. "You're going to be fine."

Hinata could hear several sets of hurried footsteps, echoing and distant, as he struggled to hold onto the image of Kageyama's face for as long as he could.

"You dumbass, Hinata," Kageyama whispered, flitting in and out of focus as he bent down to lean his forehead against Hinata's. "I love—"

Kageyama's voice and the world around him suddenly vanished, and Hinata fell into darkness.

 

 

Shifting arrays of lights and sounds were swimming before him, just an arm's length away, but Hinata couldn't seem to reach them. He felt as though he were trying to view the world from behind a thick layer of fog. He could hear voices chattering somewhere in the back of his head, and he clung to one of them in particular, a very familiar one. It had to be the king. Wherever Hinata was, Kageyama was there too.

He strained his senses, pushing against the invisible barrier, and suddenly everything burst clearly into view and Hinata found himself blinking against an onslaught of light, gasping for air.

"Hinata!" Kageyama had suddenly snapped into focus, leaning in so close that he blocked nearly all the light. "Hinata, oh my god—"

Hinata grinned weakly at him. His throat felt dry and scratchy, as though he had gone several days without water, but he was able to muster the words nonetheless.

"I'm here."

 

 

It was a miracle he lived considering the severity of his injuries, they told Hinata. Hinata told _them_ that he had just really wanted to see Kageyama, that was all. Even after he had woken up, he spent several days, or weeks—Hinata stopped keeping track after a while—in the infirmary, with Yachi, Tanaka, and Nishinoya coming to visit him at regular intervals. Even the bespectacled giant who everyone hated showed up once, dragged along by the freckled guard, who babbled excitedly about how amazing and heroic Hinata was. If you had only done your job, Hinata wanted to say, but instead he found himself flustered and inarticulate under such a heavy degree of praise.

Kageyama, of course, came every day, urgently interrogating Hinata about how his stomach and head wounds (and every other part of him) felt. When Hinata asked about royal affairs, Kageyama managed a weary smile and told him a settlement had finally been reached, the alliances had held up, and the kingdom to the east was granting them temporary aid. Hinata cheered so enthusiastically that he almost passed out.

And finally, after what seemed like forever, Hinata was permitted to leave. He slept in Kageyama's room the night he was discharged. Kageyama held him so gently, as though scared Hinata might break if squeezed too tightly, and spent the better part of an hour kissing every part of Hinata he could reach.

"I love you," Kageyama murmured between kisses, as though the words had been trapped inside him for a very long time, as though he feared he could lose Hinata at any second, as though this might all be a dream and he would wake to find Hinata unconscious in the infirmary, or gone forever.

Hinata tried to peck him with kisses of his own when he could, although it still hurt quite a bit to move. Kageyama kept trying to make him lie still, but Hinata felt so happy and energized he thought his chest might burst. He giggled as Kageyama pressed a kiss to the crook of his neck and Kageyama's hair tickled against his jaw.

"I love you too, King Tobio," he murmured into Kageyama's hair. He felt Kageyama's sharp exhale of a laugh against his collarbone.

"Just Tobio."

Hinata sighed and acquiesced, "I love you too, Just Tobio."


End file.
